• EGYPT
  • December 4, 2012
  • 6 minutes read

In Million-Man Marches Saturday, Rallies from Alex and Cairo to Assiut, People’s Revolutionary Will Shines on

In Million-Man Marches Saturday, Rallies from Alex and Cairo to Assiut, People’s Revolutionary Will Shines on

The spirit of Egyptian revolution that started in Egypt’s iconic Tahrir Square has moved to a new revolutionary rendezvous in Cairo: Nahda Square (at the doorsteps of the renowned Cairo University). Throughout the huge demonstration on Saturday, there prevailed the original Tahrir ethics which characterized the Egyptian revolution over the first 18 days that ousted the tyrant Hosni Mubarak.


Nahda Square embraced revolutionaries who took part in toppling Mubarak after Tahrir was monopolized by other parties. Those revolutionaries sought the same demands of completing the course of the revolution, eliminating corruption and symbols thereof, holding to account all those who killed peaceful protesters, protecting the democratic transition, and applying principles of Sharia (Islamic law), which protects rights and freedoms of all Egyptians, Muslims and Copts alike.

Nahda Square witnessed no party politics, no signs of party affiliation, only Egyptian flags and slogans in support of President Morsi. Absent were incidents of harassment of women – as opposed to recent repeated incidents in Tahrir Square – and absent were also all acts of violence, shop-window-smashing and general lawlessness, chaos and confusion.

In their civilized, dignified demonstration in Nahda Square, revolutionaries chanted slogans reflecting the goals of the rally and sang national and patriotic songs – one of the most prominent features that prevailed during the first days of the revolution in Tahrir Square and recently vanished altogether.

In addition to securing churches along the roads leading to Nahda Square, demonstrators in the square itself and streets leading to Cairo University set up inspection teams reminiscent of popular committees that helped organize security issues during the first days of the revolution. This helped Nahda rallies remain peaceful to the end.

Meanwhile, in Tahrir Square, some demonstrators walked out in protest at intolerable practices that seem to have prevailed in the square, such as frequent incidents of theft, sexual harassment and drug abuse. Instead, they headed to Nahda Square to join the pro-Morsi million-man march and rally in support of President Morsi’s recent Decrees.

Mahmoud Youssef Abdel-Hamid, member of the (liberal) Constitution Party, gave a short speech from the Nahda Square elevated stage, saying: "I was in the Tahrir Square sit-in. But I witnessed unfortunate incidents where dubious characters stole portable devices, while others used and distributed drugs and other illegal substances.

"So, I walked away from Tahrir and joined Nahda Square million-man march and rally for these reasons."

Another demonstrator, Mama Salma, said she left Tahrir Square sit-ins after the whole area turned into a den of former regime loyalists, and walked all the way to Nahda Square million-man march in support of President Mohamed Morsi, urging everyone to put aside all political differences.

Pro-Morsi demonstrations were in no way confined to Nahda Square in Cairo. Support marches and rallies spread all over the country from the sea-port city of Alexandria in the north of the country, all the way down to Assiut and beyond in Upper Egypt in the south. Witnesses speak of overwhelming masses of ordinary citizens as well as Islamist-looking Morsi-supporters marching in provinces across Egypt.

Justice Mohamed Awad, Coordinator of the Judges for Egypt Movement, said: "Millions of people came out today. They made us feel certain the revolution will complete its course and achieve its objectives. Former regime holdovers have come out of their dark holes. No wonder the President sensed the imminent danger threatening this homeland. That is why he had to issue the recent Constitutional Declaration to foil the plot to break Egypt".

Journalist Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, said that the "Legitimacy and Sharia" demonstration in Nahda Square is a popular referendum that endorsed the President’s recent Constitutional Declaration and Egypt’s new national charter.

In a post on his personal Twitter account, Atwan stressed that this huge crowd in the million-man march and rally should not be entirely underestimated.